Sep 29, 2006

Five Kubang Pasu Umno division members today filed a complaint with the party disciplinary board on the alleged irregularities during the Sept 9 contest which saw the defeat of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The complaint was submitted to the board’s secretary Jamaluddin Aziz at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The five complainants had voted in the contest held to elect seven delegates to represent the division at the Umno annual general assembly in November.

They claimed that the contest was tainted by money politics, interference from outsiders and threats.

According to a source, one of the complainants claimed that he was ordered to ‘confine himself to his house’ during the election process.

It is learnt that the complainant is a contract employee of the Tekun Malaysia Foundation based in Kuala Lumpur.

Govt agencies involved

In the Sept 11 contest, Mahathir came out ninth among the 15 candidates with 227 votes. Whereas his son Mukhriz took the fifth spot with 294 votes.

Mahathir, who helmed Umno and the country for 22 years, led the Kubang Pasu Umno division for more than three decades until his retirement in 2003.

The former premier had also complained that delegates received RM200 to vote against him and that a preferred candidates list was also distributed.

The Umno leadership has denied any wrongdoings.

Meanwhile, the Sun online version reported that the five complainants were led by Aminnuddin Omar, who is from the Kampung Lembah Arang Umno branch.

In his report, Aminuddin claimed there were “elements of money politics, involvement of civil servants and government agencies in the campaign to defeat Mahathir.”

The five had also met with Umno executive secretary Brigadier General (Rtd) Husainay Hashim.

Extracted from BERNAMALKY Has Hidden Motives In Accusing M'sia Of Marginalising Chinese

BEIJING, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said today Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had ulterior motives in accusing Malaysia of marginalising the Chinese community when he himself had killed the Chinese culture in his own country.

"I think he wanted to scare the Chinese, to make them feel that the wealth that they have amassed can never be safe in the region," he said to newsmen here after visiting Xinhua news agency. He arrived here yesterday for a three-day working visit.

Zainuddin said Malaysia had never marginalised its Chinese community even when there was an opportunity to do so such as in the aftermath of the May 13 incident in 1969.

"The Prime Minister then, Tunku Abdul Rahman, rejected such a notion. We have also never confiscated any assets of the Chinese community.

"Instead, we broadened their participation in the government by expanding the Alliance to form the Barisan Nasional.

"Today, Malaysia has more Chinese schools than Singapore and the newspaper with the biggest circulation in the country is a Chinese language newspaper.

"Lee Kuan Yew, on the other hand, has systematically killed Chinese culture by disallowing many Chinese practices. He also closed down Nanyang University and Ngee Ann College," he added.

Zainuddin said Lee must be congratulated for changing the Chinese identity in the island state such that it had become unrecognisable.

He called on Chinese newspapers in Malaysia not to be taken in by Lee's statement to the extent of playing up Chinese chauvinism and endangering Malaysia's racial harmony.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Singapore, as a good neighbour, should apologise to Malaysia for the recent remarks by its Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew that the Chinese community in Malaysia is being marginalised.

"They should (apologise) for the sake of the two supposedly good neighbouring countries, they should do that.

"That statement went beyond fair comment, describing something that is not true in our country, an instigation. So I think with all honesty, it should be polite for them to say they were sorry," he told reporters after a meeting of the Umno Supreme Council, here.

Speaking at a forum in Singapore on Sept 15, Lee had said that Malaysia and Indonesia "have problems with the Chinese. They are successful, they are hardworking and, therefore, they are being systematically marginalised".

He also said that the two countries "want Singapore, to put it simply, to be like their Chinese -- compliant".

"We called (him), we want to know exactly the nature of the statement. We have given our views and how we feel about it. So we wait for his response. Subsequently, we will decide what action is to be taken," he added.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has sent a letter to the Singapore government seeking an explanation over Lee's remarks, which he said could cause racial tension.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is Umno president, said the decision was made by the party's Supreme Council (MT) unanimously after going through reports of the Management Committee and Disciplinary Board.

"The Management Committee tabled the case and the MT unanimously decided that he be expelled," he told reporters after chairing the Umno MT meeting here Thursday.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad told reporters later that the MT viewed Zaharin's offence seriously and decided to impose a heavier penalty than recommended by the Disciplinary Board and Management Committee.

The Umno Disciplinary Board which had tried the case recently, had recommended for Zaharin to be suspended until the next party election with a warning that if he continued to write articles critical of the party leadership, he would be expelled.

Sep 27, 2006

JOHOR BAHARU, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- A former Malaysian ambassador has urged the Foreign Ministry to lodge a protest with the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur over the provocative remark by Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew regarding Malaysia's Chinese minority.

Datuk Syed Hussein Al-Habshee, the former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said the ministry should take a firmer stand and hand over a protest note to the Singapore High Commissioner quickly instead of waiting for weeks before doing it.

"Our delay (in handing over the protest note) is regrettable and shows we are not firm in the matter. If the same thing had happened to Singapore, we can guarantee that they will lodge a protest quickly," he told Bernama Wednesday.

Lee had told a forum in Singapore recently that Malaysia and Indonesia were systematically marginalising their Chinese minorities because they were hard-working and successful.

MCA and Gerakan leaders lashed back at Lee, saying the former Singapore premier was wrong and should apologise.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said he would write to Lee to seek an explanation for the remark which insulted Malaysia.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Tuesday summoned the Singaporean ambassador in Jakarta to ask for a clarification and to deliver a letter of protest to the Singaporean government over Lee's remark.

The ministry also instructed its officials at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore to meet high-ranking officials at Singapore's Foreign Ministry to get further clarification.

Several Indonesian lawmakers expressed outrage over Lee's remark and accused him of spreading lies and posing a danger to Indonesian and Asean unity.

Syed Hussein said he believed Lee made the remark as a calculative move to test the level of tolerance of Malaysia and Indonesia.

He said it was unbelievable that Lee did not know his remark was extremely sensitive to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.

"He was aware and knew his remark was very sensitive but used it as a strategy to assess the level of tolerance of Malaysia and Indonesia," he said.

PUTRAJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he had personally asked Tun Salleh Abas to resign from his post as Lord President in 1988 as he thought it was the best move.

He said Salleh had first agreed to step down but a few days later refused to do so, which prompted the Government to take the necessary action to remove him.

“He agreed first, then later on, I don’t know how many days later, he decided that he should not step down.

“Then of course the Government was forced to take action,” he said, adding that Salleh did not give reasons as to why he had decided against stepping down.

Dr Mahathir was responding to a statement by Salleh yesterday, where he claimed he was asked to resign by the former premier.

Salleh also claimed he was offered a high paying job as a director of an Islamic bank in Jeddah if he resigned.

When asked about the job offer, Dr Mahathir said since Salleh had refused to resign, it meant he did not want to take up the job.

When asked if there was indeed such a job offer, Dr Mahathir said he could not remember what he had exactly offered.

“I don’t remember exactly what I offered him but I did ask him to step down so as to prevent any scandal or necessity to take action (against him),” he said, adding that he later started the necessary process to remove Salleh as the Lord President.

“Removal of a judge requires a decision by his peers as required by the Constitution, so we have to abide by the Constitution.

“The Agong thought that it was just a matter of dismissal by me.

“I don’t have the power to dismiss anybody, any judge,” he said.

Dr Mahathir, who is the new president of Perkim, was speaking to reporters here after breaking fast with Perkim members at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here yesterday.

“... The Chinese and other non-Chinese have been systematically marginalised by discriminatory government policies that only favour the rich and politically connected,” he said in a statement today.

“Such politics of denial is dishonest as BN leaders themselves have stated that discriminatory policies such as quotas and the New Economic Policy (NEP) are necessary for racial harmony and national stability,” he added.

He said as long as BN leaders, including former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, cannot rely on reason, facts and logic to disprove Lee’s claim, then “their emotional denials are like empty vessels making the most noise to cover up the politics of Umno dominance and discrimination.”

Perverse logic

The DAP leader also took Koh to task for saying that the minister mentor did not understand and appreciate the challenges in administering a country bigger, more complicated and diverse than Singapore.

“This is perverse logic. If so, then can we support the apartheid policies of South Africa in the 1980s just because South Africa is bigger, more diverse and complicated than Malaysia?

“How can Koh (who is also Penang chief minister) be so thick skin to say the Chinese are not compliant when he was compliant towards Umno by not daring to even respond to the attacks by Penang Umno Youth leaders who humiliated him publicly with demonstrations and banners?” he asked.

Lim then trained his crosshairs on the MCA president, who argued that it was unfair and subjective to say the Chinese in Malaysia are marginalised because any injustices will be resolved by MCA.

“If that is the case, why is it that in cabinet, four MCA ministers could not convince but had to submit and bow to one Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein?” he asked.

He was referring to Hishammuddin’s public admonishing of Deputy Higher Education Minister and MCA vice-president Ong Tee Keat over a disclosure that Education Ministry officials had allegedly pocketed funds meant for vernacular schools.

Tee Keat was also reprimanded by the cabinet for his action.

“(What is) worse, Ong has not explained why he supported the Ninth Malaysia Plan’s refusal to build a single Chinese or Tamil school out of the 180 new primary schools proposed,” he added.'Selfish acts'

As for Keng Yaik’s statement that the “Chinese here will not follow and listen to what he says”, Lim said it reflected how out of touch BN leaders are with the feelings of ordinary Malaysians.

At a press conference yesterday, Keng Yaik, who is Gerakan president, urged journalists to report that what Lee had said “was wrong, wrong.”

Meanwhile, Lim described the ‘false denials’ by BN’s Chinese leaders as ‘selfish and politically motivated’ to enable them to cling on to their government posts.

Lee ruffled feathers recently when he said that the Chinese in Malaysia and Indonesia have been systematically marginalised.

He said this was because Malaysia and Indonesia had problems with the Chinese because the community was successful through their hard work.

“In fact, Lee is half right in that it is not only the Chinese who are marginalised. The Indians and poor Malays are also marginalised,” said the DAP secretary-general.

Sep 23, 2006

LONDON: No community is being marginalised in Malaysia, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Stressing that this was a fact, he said the progress achieved by the country’s multi-racial communities showed that no one had been sidelined.

Abdullah said the success of the Chinese community, for instance, was clearly reflected through their participation in various fields.

Abdullah said the Barisan Nasional was a responsible government that looked after the interests of all the communities.

The Chinese, through the MCA and other parties, are involved in the government's power-sharing process, he told Malaysian journalists after meeting Malaysian students at the Malaysian High Commission here on Friday.

Abdullah was responding to former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's statement that the Chinese communities in Malaysia and Indonesia were systematically marginalised because they were successful and hardworking.

On Sept 15, Reuters quoted Lee, who is Minister Mentor for the island republic, as saying it was vital for the predominantly ethnic Chinese state to stand up to its two bigger, majority Muslim neighbours.

"We do not marginalise anyone in the implementation of our programmes," he said.

Earlier, Abdullah likened the comparison in economic development between Malaysia and Singapore to that of a ciku and durian.

"It's not for comparison. Singapore did well because it is only a city state specialising in areas such as its airport as well as financial and banking services," he said, adding that the Klang Valley could be compared favourably with the republic.

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his son Mukhriz was forced to beg the ‘powerful’ Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin to have the Opcom-TM project reinstated.

But in the end, the project’s value was slashed by up to 15 percent, he added.

The former premier, who was speaking to reporters in Terengganu yesterday, reportedly said his son went through the proper channel to obtain the deal.

According to Mahathir, the RM200 million project was scrapped after he stepped down as prime minister in 2003.

This forced his son to turn to Khairy (left) - the son-in-law of Mahathir’s successor, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Although Abdullah has denied this, critics claim that Khairy influences the premier’s decisions. Some have gone to the extent of describing the 31-year-old Oxford graduate as the country’s de facto prime minister.

Extracted from REUTERSKUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad on Friday dismissed Singapore as a "tiny" country and said it should mind its own business in a racial row between the neighbours.

Responding to criticism from Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew that Malaysia mistreated its ethnic Chinese minority, Mahathir said: "Don't be like that Kuan Yew. You just look after your rice bowl, that is all.

"The country is tiny, don't be too proud," added Mahathir, 81, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years until 2003.

A similar reference about Singapore's geographical size had sparked a storm between Singapore and Indonesia in 1998.

Then-Indonesian President B.J. Habibie referred to Singapore as a "little red dot" in a sea of green -- a reference to the fact the city-state of 4.4. million people is surrounded by Malaysia and Indonesia -- two large, predominantly Muslim countries.

Lee, 83, told a forum in Singapore last week that it was vital for Singapore, a predominantly ethnic Chinese state, to stand up to its bigger neighbours.

Singapore and Malaysia have deep economic ties, but diplomatic relations are often strained. The two countries briefly united as one country in 1963 but separated two years later in a falling out related to racial politics.

KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Opcom Sdn Bhd, which is owned by his son Datuk Mukhriz, fulfilled all the conditions when it sought a contract from Telekom Malaysia (TM) to supply fibre optics worth more than RM200 million.

Dr Mahathir said Opcom obtained the contract via the normal channel, by tender, and the application was made when he was still the Prime Minister.

"Yes, my son has long been in this business (supply of fibre optics) and he received offers in the normal way through tenders and the like. Whether he got or did not get contracts, it was his problem and not mine," he said.

Dr Mahathir said that when he was no longer the Prime Minister, the contract awarded to Mukhriz's company was revoked and his son was forced to appeal to an influential person for it to be extended.

The person concerned, who was powerful, telephoned an officer to instruct that 30 per cent of the contract be given back to Mukhriz and which was later reduced to 15 per cent, he told reporters Friday after launching the building fund of the Kemaman branch of the Ex-Servicemen's Association and the district Warriors Day Campaign at Awana Kijal, Beach and Spa Resort in Kijal.

An internet report, which carried the report on the contract awarded to Mukhriz's company, quoted from a "confidential" letter dated Oct 7, 2003 and bearing the Finance Ministry's letterhead.

Dr Mahathir said there were attempts being made by certain quarters to smear his name.-- BERNAMA

The former premier said Lee was arrogant because he felt he was in a strong position.

"He's not bothered with his neighbours. That is why he deliberately raised something he knew to be sensitive in our country," he told reporters after launching the building fund of the Kemaman branch of the Ex-Servicemen's Association and the district Warriors Day Campaign at Awana Kijal, Beach and Spa Resort in Kijal.

Lee on Friday told a forum held in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund conference in Singapore that Malaysia and Indonesia had problems with their Chinese minorities because they were successful and hardworking and therefore they were systemically marginalised.

He was reported to have said that the attitude of Malaysia and Indonesia towards Singapore was shaped by the way they treated their own Chinese minorities.

They "want Singapore, to put it simply, to be like their Chinese -- compliant", he claimed.

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia could question Singapore's marginalisation of its Malay minority.

"We could ask about the status of the Malays in Singapore, why they are not allowed to bear arms in the military or train to handle weapons. Why is it that the Malays in Malaysia are so capable in the military field but the Malays in Singapore cannot hold high posts (in the military)?

"Why is it that the Malays in Singapore are marginalised to the extent that they have no status at all? This is done deliberately by Singapore. There is no other country that does it like them," he said.

Dr Mahathir said Lee's allegation about the Chinese in Malaysia being marginalised was untrue because there are Chinese holding high posts, for example in the armed forces.

"The Chinese in Malaysia can join the military and rise to become general, major general and so on. But what is the per capita income of the Malays in comparison with the Chinese in Singapore?

"We should have an independent investigation on why the Malays are left behind in Singapore. It is not because they are lacking compared to the Malays in Malaysia but because they are pressured, marginalised and oppressed. That is the kind of government founded on the views of Lee Kuan Yew," he said.

In his speech earlier, Dr Mahathir told Lee not to feel smug about what he had said.

"You should just guard your own rice bowl. You are not that clever. In a small group, perhaps you seem clever.

"But when he goes to China, the Chinese there don't want to listen to him. The Chinese in China don't think much of him and it is a fact that he is marginalised by Chinese in the world," he said.

Extracted from BERNAMAVarsities Should Specialise To Excel, Says Dr Mahathir

CYBERJAYA, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Local universities should focus on specialised areas especially scientific-based, in order to become world-class institutions by the year 2020, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Friday.

The former prime minister said universities must carry out more scientific research for the betterment of mankind and revolutionise the way people live.

"Universities can no longer focus on general areas but excel in their specialised areas so that they can be the centre of research and reference for specific areas by the world," he said in his talk on "Universities in Vision 2020" at the Multimedia University, here.

"Universities must change their mindsets from merely producing graduates to become centres of excellence for their specialised areas.

"Universities in 2020 must be equally well developed as the country develops," he said.

With this approach, Dr Mahathir hoped the country's first ever Nobel laureatte could be produced by 2020.

Later speaking to reporters, he said more efforts should be carried out by the Vatican in mending its relations with the Muslim world following Pope Benedict XVI's damaging statement last week.

The Muslim world, on the other hand, could react to the comment but not to the extent of burning embassies, he said.

Dr Mahathir was asked to comment on worldwide reactions over the pontiff's statement citing a medieval text that characterised some of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman" particularly his alleged command to spread the faith by sword.

Extracted from BERNAMAUmno And The Leadership Never Shamed Dr Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Umno Thursday denied that the party and its leadership had lately taken action to put former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad to shame as alleged by PAS.

Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhamad Taib said party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had never been involved in any action which paved the way for Dr Mahathir to be put to shame.

"Some quarters have tried to exploit Dr Mahathir's failure to be elected as a Kubang Pasu delegate at the party's general assembly by all sorts of negative allegations," he said when commenting on the statement by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang Wednesday that Dr Mahathir was shamed in several ways.

He said Umno believed that Dr Mahathir had a more important role to play in view of his vast experience and should not be just a delegate to the general assembly.

Muhammad said the PAS allegation was hypocritical because PAS itself had often tried to ridicule Dr Mahathir by criticising all development efforts he had made.

Sep 21, 2006

Extracted from MalaysiaKiniSeveral documents pertaining to business deals between the children of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the government are being circulated on the Internet.

According to sources, this is being done to counter Mahathir’s criticisms of Scomi Bhd’s involvement in government projects.

Mahathir has alleged that Scomi - which is controlled by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son, Kamaluddin - received numerous government contracts since Abdullah took office in 2003.

One of the documents being circulated in a ‘pro-Umno’ blog is the agreement letter to appoint Opcom Sdn Bhd as the supplier of fibre optics worth RM214.2 million to Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM). (blog)

Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz, is the chairperson and managing director of Opcom.

According to the letter, dated Oct 7, 2003 and bearing the Finance Ministry letterhead, the contract was obtained through direct negotiations and not via a tender process.

The letter, marked confidential, was released by the ministry’s procurement management division and addressed to TM’s tender board secretary.

Opcom obtained the contract to produce, supply and ship the fiber optics for three years under the TM vendors programme.

The document has been in circulation on the Internet since Sept 15. However, malaysiakini could not obtain a confirmation from the Finance Ministry or TM regarding the issue.

According to sources, the Opcom document suggested elements of nepotism as Mahathir was also the finance minister at that time.

Other documents

The source said other documents, involving the business interests of Mahathir’s other sons, Mirzan and Mokhzani as well as those of his relatives and friends will be circulated in stages.

These documents will be related to national oil giant Petronas and the privatisation of hospital and transportation services.

The source said this is being done to counter the attacks Mahathir has launched against Abdullah and to refute the former premier’s claim that his children never benefitted from his position.

“The documents are being circulated to show the public that Scomi went through the proper process, that is via an open tender, to obtain the contracts while Mukhriz got it through direct negotiations,” he added.

Over the past months, Mahathir has launched scathing attacks against his handpicked successor Abdullah.

Apart from allegations of nepotism, he has also accused the premier of lying and failing to protect the interest of the nation

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Members of Parliament were Thursday reminded not to use improper words that can humiliate an individual or tarnish the image of the august house.

Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Lim Si Cheng said immediate action would be taken against MPs who violated the rule.

Lim issued the reminder after Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) asked Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk M. Kayveas to retract the improper words they had used during a recent debate that Karpal Singh felt had humiliated him and other handicapped people.

Karpal has been wheelchair-bound since January 2005 following a road accident.

"In the interest of others, can the minister (Mohamed Nazri) or his representative in this house retract what was said," said Karpal as he intervened during question time, causing the session to be adjourned for about 10 minutes before the Dewan Rakyat continued with the Budget 2007 session.

Lim then said: "I agree that words which are improper should not be used during the debate, but then it had happened and the motion was not raised by the Honourable (Karpal) at the time of the incident. Even the minister is not here.

"So, I wish to propose to the Honourable Bukit Gelugor (representative) that if he is not satisfied, (he) can take action by using the relevant motion allowed by the house," he added.

Lim's response to Karpal drew the ire of several MPs who insisted that Mohamed Nazri be given the opportunity to retract the words. Several back benchers said even opposition MPs had used improper words during debates.

Lim calmed the situation and told the MPs that both sides, back benchers and opposition, had used such words.

The global community should stop all forms of enmity at least for one day in a year in the name of peace, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir, who is also the chairperson of the Perdana Global Peace Foundation, said this in a statement to Bernama in conjunction with today’s International Peace Day.

“The International Peace Day is a cease-fire day around the world where all countries and people stop their hostilities for the day.

“If the leaders fail to do this, the people should do it,” added the 81-year-old former premier.

Mahathir said in modern warfare leaders and generals were far from the battleground and faced no risks of getting killed or hurt.

“Being aware of this, the leaders and generals see war as an option to end conflicts between nations.

“When their armies lay down their weapons for a day, these leaders and generals will realise that they do not have the right to sacrifice their youths in wars which do not solve the problems,” he added.

Extracted from ISNATEHRAN, Sep. 20 (ISNA)-Iran's vice president in a meeting with former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, while referring to the shared cultural, religious and stances of Iran and Malaysia emphasized that commercial and economic ties could strengthen relations between Islamic countries.

Parviz Davoudi in this meeting also stressed that Iran welcomed expanding ties and relations with Malaysia in all fields and saw no limitation in that matter.

This official also referred to the recent remarks made by Pope as a sham of tyrant and oppressive countries.

"The Pope should not allow these countries to apply all means possible so to reach their aims," he added.

Mahathir Mohammad on his part while emphasizing that the Islamic nations through unison and cooperation should block all ways and methods possible for oppressors to abuse them, noted that creating a common currency in all Islamic countries could be considered.

The former Malaysian Prime Minister called Iran a great nation with a rich culture.

“The government hands the contract to carry out a certain project to a bumiputera concessionaire and logically, the consultant chosen should also involve bumiputeras.

“However, the actions of these concessionaires that appear not to be supportive of their own race lead to the benefits - that were supposed to be shared together - falling into the hands of others," Khairy was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.

“We should not forget that these opportunities are to be shared together with the Malays. They (the concessionaires) however seem to be swayed by short-term profits promised by others.”

Sep 19, 2006

Extracted from BERNAMAM'sia-S'pore Talks On Outstanding Issues Still On Hold

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Negotiations on various outstanding bilateral issues between Malaysia and Singapore are still on hold, with both sides focusing on confidence building efforts.

"Both countries feel the best option would be to build confidence to foster bilateral ties through cooperation in various fields," said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Joseph Salang at the Dewan Rakyat here Tuesday.

He was replying to a question from Datuk Mohamed Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) on whether there were any new negotiations held between the Malaysian and Singapore governments in resolving the outstanding issues.

Among the issues are the price revision of raw water which Malaysia supplies to the city state and the KTM land issue in Singapore.

Salang also said the Cabinet meeting on April 12 decided to stop negotiations with Singapore on the issues of the bridge to replace the Johor Causeway.

As such, he said the issue on Singapore's demand for sand and the use of Malaysian airspace by the Singapore Air Force did not arise.

Replying to an additional question, Salang said the government would continue to ensure it established good relations with its neighbours including Singapore.

"With confidence from both nations, we hope to resolve the outstanding issues," he said.

To a question from Datuk Mahadzir Mohd Khir (BN-Sungai Petani), he said the government was still waiting for the decision on the Pulau Batu Putih sovereignty claim issue, which had been brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

The commotion, which lasted for nearly an hour, saw the minister cutting short his winding-up speech on the Budget 2007 debate.

DAP MPs, who were upset that Nazri did not allow them to seek clarification on the issues he raised, also left the House for about five minutes as an act of protest.

At one juncture during the argument, DAP national chairperson and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh repeatedly called on the enraged minister to sit down.

“You are just jealous because I am standing,” retorted Nazri in reference to Karpal’s confinement to a wheelchair following an accident last year.

He also described the veteran DAP leader and prominent lawyer as being “mad”.

This prompted Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) to demand an apology from the minister. She said Nazri had not only hurt Karpal but all disabled peopled as well.

'Gone crazy'

The war of words erupted when Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) sought clarification from Nazri regarding the direction of the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Lim also raised the statement made by Abdullah in Havana yesterday that he had not lost control of his administration.

However, when Nazri ignored this and continued talking about the Tsunami funds, Karpal urged Deputy Speaker Lim Si Cheng “to restrain the minister since he has gone crazy.”

Lim then told Karpal that he cannot tell others to stop using words like ‘crazy’ when he himself used them.

“Only crazy people can accuse others of being crazy,” Nazri responded.

At this point, Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam) joined in the fray. “This is an August House,” she told the minister.

“But that place over there is not August,” remarked the minister, pointing to where the opposition MPs were seated.

Opposition leader Lim then questioned why the minister was delivering his speech like a “speeding train” to the point that other MPs could not understand it.

However, Nazri stressed that he had the right not to allow others to seek clarification.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's style of administration should not be wrongly assumed that he has lost control, said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

He said Abdullah had provided a clear direction for the nation and always adopted a democratic style by taking into consideration the views of Cabinet members and others, when making decisions.

"His democratic style should not be wrongly assumed by anyone that there is no longer control (in Abdullah's administration)," he told a press conference after officiating a meeting of the National Housing Council, here Monday.

Ong was asked to comment on the Prime Minister's statement in Havana, Cuba Sunday that he had his own way of bringing reforms in the country.

Speaking to Malaysian journalists covering the Non-Aligned Movement's summit there, Abdullah said there were still many people who did not understand his style of administering the country.

"The people want a more open government, not one that is autocratic where everything is controlled until no one is able to speak up," he said.

Abdullah had also said that he was committed to bring changes in his administration but stressed that critics should accept that he had his own way of doing things.

He had been asked to comment on remarks in Parliament by Kota Baharu MP Datuk Zaid Ibrahim that the Prime Minister had not made reforms that had been promised after he took over the post three years ago.

Ong said Abdullah was actually still in control and that his methods were suited to what was wanted by the people now, which was a transparent government.-- BERNAMA

Oh I thought PM Badawi's style of management is no one can criticise the government?

Extracted from BERNAMANajib Says No Action Against Zaid For His Comments On PM

SUBANG, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The government under Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi encourages Members of Parliament to speak out in Parliament so long as they follow the rules, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said that for this reason, no action would be taken against Barisan Nasional's (BN) Kota Baharu MP Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who criticised the administration.

"He can give whatever views he wants in Parliament so long as he does not contravene the standing orders of Parliament and we will take into account what he said," he told reporters after opening a housing project for military personnel at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base, here Monday.

During the debate on Budget 2007 in the Dewan Rakyat last week, Zaid said the Prime Minister had still not brought any reform as promised after three years in the post.

Najib said Abdullah himself hoped BN MPs could play a more effective role so that the people would not turn to the opposition.

However, the BN MPs should bear in mind that they must continue to support the government and the Prime Minister, he added.

On another issue, Najib advised Penang Umno Youth to be patient and wait for Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to call them for a meeting to discuss ways to overcome the alleged marginalisation of the Malays in the state.

The military housing project covers 32 hectares and is provided with a mosque and a community hall.

The project will make available eight bungalows, 20 units of semi-D double-storey houses, 108 units of double-storey houses and 524 units of apartments.

In his speech, Najib said the Defence Ministry's target was to provide housing for 60 per cent of the military personnel's families.

To achieve the objective, RM1.05 billion has been allocated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan to complete 32 continuation projects and build five new projects involving a total 8,949 units of housing, he said.

The prime minister said his critics must accept the reality that he had his own way of doing things.

Denying the claim by his detractors that he had lost control as a leader, Abdullah said he would not be rash in his actions but would seek the views of the Cabinet and the Umno supreme council.

"There are still many people who don't understand, they say Pak Lah has lost control. That's my way of doing things. Everybody has his way of doing things.

"The objectives are still the same, there is no change, but the way (of doing it) is my way," he told Malaysian journalists at the end of the 14th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit here Saturday.

Giving a lengthy explanation on the matter, Abdullah said reforms cannot be done with the hope of seeing immediate results.

"It's not that I've totally forgotten or don't care at all about reforms but reforms must be introduced after careful planning and study and results cannot be expected overnight," he said.

Abdullah was asked to comment on the claim by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (BN-Kota Baharu) in Parliament recently that the Prime Minister had still not introduced reforms as promised though it has been three years he assumed the prime minister's post.

The prime minister said all actions must be referred to the Cabinet and the party as the government held to the principle that "party's strength supports the government, the government's strength supports the party".

He said many important issues have to be studied thoroughly and this might take some time.

Stressing that sometimes an action to be taken would take a long time to decide, Abdullah said: "I would prefer it is alright we are a bit late provided we have looked into all the relevant aspects to analyse an issue."

He said reforms in the civil service needed a change in the mindset of civil servants towards reducing bureaucracy so as not to burden many parties and this required the help of government officers.

The prime minister cited several of his initiatives to institute changes in the civil service such as setting up the Institute of Integrity Malaysia, strengthening the Anti-Corruption Agency and enhancing the role of a more open Parliament.

He said the Parliament had established several select committees to look into many things and backbenchers and the Opposition have been given ample opportunities to give their views.

"Actually, this is how Parliament should play its role, allowing parliamentarians to criticise the government but in a constructive manner aimed at propelling the country to greater heights in terms of development.

Not with the intention of merely creating a controversy as what is happening now.

"This is the view of some people, what to do if they have such an opinion," he said, emphasising that he was steadfast in doing what he felt was good for the nation's well-being.

The prime minister said all actions taken by the government was the Cabinet's decision and he himself would report the decision to the Umno supreme council for discussion and to get its views.

On politics, Abdullah said actually there were no problems, be they involving politicians or the Cabinet.

"Perhaps, the views of the Cabinet may appear contradictory, and that is said to be "lost control", it's not," he said, adding that if such a situation arose, he would refer to the Cabinet to rectify it.

Differences of opinion among politicians or Cabinet members are not something that happens everyday but probably due to overlapping of duties between certain ministries, he added.

Extracted from REUTERSASTANA (Reuters) - There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim and U.S. President George W. Bush is mistaken in casting his war on terror in terms of a "struggle for civilisation", Malaysia's outspoken former prime minister says.

Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years and is known for his frequent barbs against what he has called Western double standards, said he believed even the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States were at root linked to Israel's occupation of Palestinian land.

"What is happening today has got nothing to do with religion. It has got to do with territorial disputes, mainly the dispute over Palestinian land," he told Reuters after a religious congress in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

He said Bush's description of America's "war on terror" as "a struggle for civilisation" on the fifth anniversary of the attacks was flawed, as was the West's hope that moderate Muslims would have a dominant voice.

"There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim," he said. "We are fundamentalists in Malaysia. We follow the true teachings of the religion and the true teachings do not teach us to bomb and kill people without reason."ROOT CAUSE

On Bush's comments, Mahathir, 81, said: "He's not civilised, he shouldn't be talking about civilising others."

Although most of the men who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks were Saudis, Mahathir - whom Israel has in the past dubbed anti-Semitic - said he saw the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands as the root cause of Islamist extremism.

"They (the hijackers) had no direct link but there is a great deal of sympathy for the sufferings of the people of Palestine," he said.

"Maybe that is because they are co-religionists but it is not because their religion urges them to do so. The West tends to blame religion, they blame Islam for whatever happens and associate Islam with terrorism," he said.

He said he believed dubbing a fight against Islamic extremism as a struggle for civilisation risked becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"(Muslims) are without arms, they are weak and they are pushed into a corner. If you are pushed into a corner and the only thing you can do is bite, you bite," he said.

The tactics used by the United States and allies such as Britain were an attempt to "out-terrorise the terrorists" and would therefore fail, Mahathir said.

"Saddam Hussein terrorised his people, he killed many people. But how many did he kill compared to the numbers the Americans have caused to be killed?" he asked.

"They have opened a Pandora's Box and you have a civil war."

Mahathir provoked controversy throughout his long career. In 2003 he said Jews ruled the world by proxy, prompting condemnation from Israel and Western countries.

The jailing of his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 on sodomy charges that Anwar said were trumped up caused many western democracies to shun Mahathir.

But he has also been widely hailed as the architect of modern Malaysia and a strong voice among Muslim and developing countries.

"When you target Muslim countries, other Muslims get angry and they try to retaliate the only way they can, by bombing or maybe attempts to blow up aircraft and so you think that these Muslims are really bad," Mahathir said.

"But think first what you have done to them and then you will realise that if you were in their position you would do the same thing."

ISLAMABAD, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Muslim nations should have nuclear weapons to deter their enemies, Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday in Islamabad, but added that his ideal would be global nuclear disarmament.

Mahathir, addressing a seminar in the Pakistani capital, flayed U.S. foreign policy and Israel, and said Muslims were enjoined by their faith to defend themselves.

"They need to have nuclear nuclear weapons too, because only (through) the possession of such would their enemies be deterred from attacking them," Mahathir said in a speech titled "Clash of Civilisations or Clash of Interests".

Speaking in the one Islamic country to have developed a nuclear arsenal, and sharing the platform with cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan, the sprightly 81-year-old received warm applause for his comments from the Pakistani audience.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it has nuclear weapons, though it is widely believed to possess them.

"While I think we should not be selective in determining which nations should have, and should not have, I think the best thing we could do is to say is that all nations should not have nuclear weapons and in particular this very, very, very belligerent United States," Mahathir said.

He was scathing over the Iraq war, saying far fewer Iraqis would have been killed under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship.

"Is there a difference between being killed by democrats and being killed by dictators? If only we could ask those who died."

Mahathir also spoke of a "Jewish conspiracy in the United States", revisiting the subject of a speech he made in 2003 in which he said Jews ruled the world by proxy. His remarks caused an international uproar and overshadowed his retirement days later after 22 years in power.

Sep 15, 2006

Extracted from BERNAMATun Dr M Visits Eurasian National University In Kazakhstan

ASTANA, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad visited the Eurasian National University here, where he was conferred an honorary doctorate for his contribution to education and science, the Kazakhstan news agency, Khabar, reported.

Referring the former premier as one of the world's most famous politicians, the news agency said the visit to the university started with a tour of its museum where he was shown exhibits detailing the ancient history of Kazakhstan.

Besides bestowing the ex-premier an honorary doctorate, the university also awarded Dr Mahathir with a doctor's robe and a commemorative medal.

Dr Mahathir gave a lecture to students of the university on Malaysia's experience in the economic, social, cultural and political spheres.

The former Malaysian prime minister said he was confident that under the leadership of Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan would soon become one of the most competitive countries in the world and achieve the goal it set under the Kazakhstan-2030 Development Strategy, possibly becoming a developed country even before 2030.

Kazakhstan's huge natural resources, good economic leadership and development strategies all contribute to that.

The ex-premier said Kazakhstan and Malaysia were ready to widen cooperation in education, and expressed hope that the Kazakhstan government would send more students to Malaysia.

September 15, 2006The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Thursday indicted four former executives of precision instruments maker Mitutoyo Corp. on charges of illegally exporting instruments that could be used for nuclear weapons development.

The four are former President Kazusaku Tezuka, 67, former Vice Chairman Norio Takatsuji, 71, former Managing Director Hideyo Chikugo, 66, and former board member Tetsuo Kimura, 65.

A Mitutoyo employee arrested by Tokyo police in late August along with the four executives was released without indictment.

According to the allegations, Tezuka and the three others exported two three-dimensional precision measuring instruments developed by the firm to Malaysia in October and November 2001, without permission from the economy, trade and industry minister.

One of the two instruments turned up in Libya during an inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Companies need to obtain permission from the economy minister to export precision measuring instruments with accuracy exceeding a certain level.

But Mitutoyo allegedly used special software to limit the accuracy of the equipment and declared to customs that no permission was required.

The unauthorized exports amount to a violation of the foreign exchange law.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Safety Bureau suspects Mitutoyo of having illegally exported several thousand units of its three-dimensional measuring equipment since 1995. It intends to continue its investigations.

Japan's customs authorities are considering bringing charges against the four executives. (Jiji Press)